Things You'll Need
18 white paper plates
Hole punch
Twine or paper clips
Marker or pencil
Pair of scissors
Making a skeleton for a 7th grade class project can be done with the most basic of materials: paper plates, twine or paper clips and some imagination. This skeleton design is an inexpensive project, and you can make it as silly or scary as you want. Use real anatomy books for reference on how to draw the eye sockets in the face and remember to make the legs longer than the arms by adding an extra bone when you assemble the limbs.
Step 1
Draw each piece of the skeleton on a paper plate. You will need one head, one collarbone, one rib cage, one pelvis, two hands, two feet and 10 arm and leg bones. You can sketch these to your own creative whims or follow templates. This requires 18 plates.
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Step 2
Cut each of the shapes out from the paper plate sketches.
Step 3
Punch holes at the points of each bone where the joints will meet.
Step 4
Draw a face on the skeleton head cutout. Make it as detailed or as simple as you wish. Cartoon eyes may require colored markers or fill them in black to resemble a real skull. Add any other artistic embellishments as you see fit.
Step 5
Attach the bone cutouts to one another in the designated areas, starting with the head and collarbone and adding the shoulders and rib cage. The arms require two bone lengths and the legs require three strung together. Tie them in place through the punched holes with 3-inch segments of twine or link a pair of paper clips for each joint. Add the hands and feet.
Step 6
Hang the skeleton on a wall or from a ceiling.